Post grapples with loss of 3rd BCT soldiers in Humvee explosion

Fort Carson’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team didn’t lose a single soldier the first month it was back in Iraq. Some back home began to wonder if their luck could last.

It didn’t.

On Jan. 28, an explosion tore through a Humvee on patrol in the northern city of Mosul.

Five soldiers were killed.

“It was completely unexpected,” said Capt. Ryan McCarthy, executive officer of the rear detachment of the brigade. “You could say one (casualty) is high. Five is infinitely more difficult to deal with.”

Hundreds gathered Wednesday at Fort Carson to remember the soldiers who died in the blast.

Many who knew them best are still in Iraq, but mourners overflowed Soldiers Memorial Chapel on Wednesday.

“We all feel a lot of sorrow and sadness,” McCarthy said. “No matter how much sorrow we are feeling, there’s no way to express what the families are going through.”

The families, who came from all over the country for the memorial, declined to be inter- viewed.

All five soldiers were killed in the initial blast Jan. 28, part of an ambush by more than 20 insurgents.

They were remembered as loyal soldiers who “demonstrated arguably the most precious of values: selfless personal courage,” said Lt. Col. David Thompson.

They were:

Staff Sgt. Gary W. Jeffries, 37, of Kerrville, Texas.

Known as “Grandpa Six” because he’d been in the unit for six years, he was a father figure, on his third tour in Iraq.

“There was a reason he was commanding the lead vehicle on that patrol, because everyone counted on him to know the way,” said Staff Sgt. Andrew Peery, reading a letter from a soldier in Iraq.

He is survived by son Zachary and daughter Sierra.

“His life was his children. He loved them more than anything,” Peery said.

Sgt. James E. Craig, 26, of Hollywood, S.C.

Craig, known as “Top Flight” because of his attention to security, was outspoken in taking care of his soldiers, yet he also had a great sense of humor and was known for “cheesy jokes.”

“Sgt. Craig was a simple man. He was kind, caring and selfless,” wrote one of his fellow soldiers.

He was on his third tour in Iraq. He is survived by his wife Natalie Craig.

Cpl. Evan. A. Marshall, 21, of Athens, Ga.

Marshall, on his second tour in Iraq, was always ready to help a new private.

“I can’t even tell you how many times I saw him give up money or his own car for someone in need,” wrote a fellow soldier.

He planned to leave the Army and go back to school.

He is survived by his parents, Andrew and Sheila Marshall.

Spc. Brandon A. Meyer, 20, of Orange, Calif.

Known as “Lurch” because of his height, he was an athlete who loved the outdoors.

He is survived by his wife, Caitlin Meyer.

Pfc. Joshua A. R. Young, 21, of Riddle, Ore.

Young, who wanted to be in the military since he was a child, had joined the unit just before it went to Iraq.

He was eager to learn new things, and helped the other members of the unit by fixing their computers.

Though the brigade’s first casualties came in a group of five, it would have been difficult for those back home, no matter how many were killed.

“Any casualty is always tough, no matter how many there are,” Sgt. John Josendale, of the unit’s rear detachment, who had served with all five men. “Any casualty is tough, be it one or five.”

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